Hi Rachel,
Thank you so much for your willingness to speak with us again. *My main role here will be to give you some information up front, then to observe while you use a website that we’re currently testing. *
- Your role is simply to use a website. We’re here today to test the website, not you! Just like last time - You can’t "fail" this test, or do anything wrong here. *
The whole session should take at most 20 minutes. If you need to take a break at any point, please let me know.
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One of the best ways for you to help us during this test is to try to think out loud as much as possible. It’s particularly helpful if you tell us what you’re trying to do and what you’re looking at. It’s also helpful if you tell us when you’re confused or if something is unclear. Since our goal is to see how people use this website without someone there to guide them, I might not be able to clarify at the time, but knowing the questions you’re considering will be extremely helpful to us.*
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You should even feel comfortable sharing these thoughts if they’re critical or harsh of the website. Please don’t worry about hurting my feelings. Remember our goal here is to find ways to improve this website, so we want to know your honest reactions.*
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There will be some time at the end for you to ask any remaining questions, and I might ask you some questions. *
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There are also some people observing this test on the phone. They’re here for the same reason I am: to improve the website. Don’t worry about them, they won’t be participating in the session at all, just observing.*
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Do you have any questions so far?*
Had another thought about what I would be looking for - we run a daycare through our program. It would be good if as you looked for information, it would be great if you knew whether there are any openings. So many wasted phone calls.
Today, we will be working with some static images.* I’m going to ask you to play the role of social worker (or channel back to when you were in that role) in search of a daycare setting for a particular foster family in MS. I will ask you to view one static image of a website at a time. I will give you a task that I want you to try to complete - or more accurately, describe and use your mouse to show us how you would consider completing this task. *
Screen 1.
Please look at this screen and tell me what you would think to do on this screen.
If I knew an address of a specific childcare provider, but I would enter a zipcode.
*Do you know the zipcode off the top of your head? *
Yes, it would be in the case file.
Where are you when you are doing this search?
Best case scenario in my office - although often you are in the road, you have a family calling you, and you want to get them the info as quuickly as possible.
In this area, we are in a very rural area - you don’t always have access
Mobile device is a phone. Our foster care workers have phones - smartphone issued by county.
How does this option - starting your search from a current zipcode (39194) - align with your desire to search for daycare programs? (Is there another way you would think to search to find the best options?)
I might write the city to narrow it down. Sometimes zipcodes are a large area. Zipcode town or address.
Please enter the zipcode 39194 and search. Screen 2.
Can you tell me what you see and how you would proceed in terms of finding a daycare match for your foster family?
212 results. Way too many. Too overwhelming. If it’s possible, I would go back and ask to look for licensed or unlicensed childcare. In state of NY, they can only be in a licensed childcare. Esp. if foster parents want to be paid. Only for licensed childcare facilities.
I see a map with a huge cluster of daycares. You should be able to choose licensed or unlicensed (home atmosphere), I would also like to scroll between home-based and center-based.
I will tell you that as I scroll I’m getting sections of blank screen, it comes back, but I lose information and it comes back. I would love to have that search opportunity before you see 212. My first instinct would be - I don’t have time to do that right now.
User struggles with scrolling and controlling the screen. It looks like you could narrow your search by using a name. As I told you, we did all of our own research.
What additional information? I would like the website. Or tell some add’l information, of who to ask for . Sometimes you start your spiel and you have to do it all over again. Also if there are current openings.
What do you think about how the information on this screen is organized? (Does it make sense, does it help you navigate to a better match?)
It does. The beginning ones are home-based, the name of org, type of org, phone, zip. All self explanatory. What about the whole page? I think I would have been able to navigate it on my own. Some of my issue - is that it’s the mouse control.
Is there anything that stands out as particularly helpful to your search? (map?hide/no,)
How would you like to reorganize the results set to get a better match? (rating? distance)
*When you find a potential match, what would you like/think to do? *
I did think of something else in terms of the daycare - we get phone calls all the time about whether we do before or after school care and if they are licensed to do so. If you have a school aged child, if you have a full time job, kid will have to do before or after care, for what ages.
You have to make phone calls to get this information.
I can see now you can look for a center based or home based and narrow it down. I like that there is a rating. I wish I could know who is doing the rating.
Would you try to find more than one match/possibility?
I would want to find more than one - I want them to have control, they could make a choice. This is hard for me - I’m not a foster care worker, I think that I would want to share a few of them, give as much info as I could, and allow them to do follow up.
I would share this via phone call. I might text to tell them that I have info.
If I tell you that this list only represents state-licensed or registered providers, what would you say? Would you ever want results that aren’t on this list? No
Let’s imagine that you didn’t find any results that would work for your foster family, and we know that this can effect a child’s placement. What would you do next?
I’d have to put in another town or zipcode if it shows that there weren’t any in that zipcode.
Please play with narrow the search, and I can see a head start program.
Is it obvious for you to change your search and how to go back to average, I think I probably would have figured that out (how to get back. Or I hit the back button)39194
Would you ever want to select more than one type or rating?
More than one type, home-based or
On rating, only want good.